irregular heartbeat. that's what several pepco customers are experiencing after wireless smart meters were installed at their homes. now, 9 wants to know why these meters are emitting radiation far more frequently than pepco

claims. kristin fisher uncovered this new evidence. this is similar to the radiation debate. >> this is very similar to that debate. it's the same kind of radiation and the research into its safety is not conclusive. here's the big difference. you can choose how often you use your cell phone, right? with smart meters, you don't have a choice. the frequency with which you are exposed is determined by the power company. and as i found, it may be a lot more frequent than they claim. >> this is a meter that tests for radiofrequency radiation. the same kind of radiation that is emitted by smart meters. today, the center for safer wireless, an independent group that questions the safety of smart meteorologists is using this device to test three pepco customers smart meters. we turn off anything else that might emit this radiation. our cell phones, my wireless microphone. any radiation we pick up is

coming from the meters. >> so this is a smart meter bank. it's inside a condominium building and there's 32 different smart meters inside this building. so what i did was, i brought in a meter that measures the levels of radiofrequency -- these smart meters are emitting regulations. smart meter communications take place every four to six hours. >> pepco says what is happening is these smart meters send out communications every four to six hours on a daily basis. what we're seeing is these smart meters communicate four to six times a minute, if not more. >> we tested two single family homes. even with just one smart meter, we got the same readings, it did not sit well with lisa in potomac. >> they aren't asking you if they can radiate you, they are just doing it. >> it's more than they were saying.

>> this comes across as dishonest. >> i can't account for a test that we -- there are a lot of variables involved that we can't account for. but you know, we are confident in the specks of our meters and the safeness of the meters at this point. >> so i asked pepco if we could go out with their experts, they told me they would look into it. just to be clear, we aren't saying whether or not this radiation is dangerous. that's up to the scientists and currently the subject of a very heated debate. what we're saying, lesli, is our testing showed that the meters are emitting radiation more frequently than pepco is telling its customers. >> give people information, to empower them and they can make their own decisions. >> you got it. >> kristen, thank you. anita. now we move on to police in belgium. one of the biggest diamond

heists in history. >> they snatched millions of dollars of diamonds from a plane. >> workers are beefing up security, placing concrete barriers around the fence at brussels international airport. eight masked gunmen dressed like police officers broke through the fence monday night and drove two cars on to the tarmac. the men snatched an estimated $50 million worth of diamonds from the cargo hold of a plane, scheduled to fly to switzerland. >> the operation at the airport has taken exactly three minutes. so this was a very quick hit- and-run. very well organized. >> the suspect's cars had flashing blue lights. they held the pilot, co-pilot, and other airport workers at gunpoint. >> these people are very well aware of what they were doing. >> police found a burnt out car near the airport and say it was probably used in the heist.

the plane was carrying passengers, but authorities say those on board could not see what was happening underneath near the cargo area. cbs news. >> can you say made for tv movie? all right, airport officials say they are trying to figure out how a major security breech could have happened and they plan to find those responsible. coming up on wusa9. a classic tv ad making a comeback at this year's oscar. topper. >> right now, no showers here in northwest, but there are some showers and thunderstorms on radar. we'll show you the radar. most of which has been to the north of us. lightning in hagerstown. now everything is calming down a little bit. but a little area of rain. we'll come back and talk about what lies behind this front for tonight and the rest of the week. but up next, finally makes his or her appearance. sort of. we'll talk about it. don't forget, we're always on at wusa9.com and the wusa9 app.

stay with us, we'll be back.

england is all a buzz about the royal baby bump. the duchess of cambridge made

her first official outing today. you can see what she is expecting. she visited a residential treatment clinic in london. she's a patron for the charity and spent the morning with women recovering from addiction and getting their lives back together. the duchess is due to give birth in july. like father, like son. michael jackson's son is getting into show business. >> i think it will be a new experience. i've been asked questions before. >> can you believe he's that big? 16 now. prince michael jackson, he has been named a gift contributor to entertainment tonight. one of his first gigs is interviewing the stars of the upcoming film, oz, the great and powerful. you may remember jackson's father played the scarecrow. he would like to become a producer, a director, a screen writer, an actor, and also adds he cannot sing or dance, so don't ask him to do it. >> auction nears are asking him to give him $100,000 for a

bloody sock. it's the one red sox pitcher wore during a 2004 world series game. boston went on to win the series. online bids for schilling's sock opened at $100,000. they hope to get four times that when the bidding is said and done. >> one of television's most famous commercials is making a comeback just in time for the oscars. >> pardon me. would you have any grey poupon? but of course. >> it is the classic, pardon me ad. it will air during the oscar. it's been away for 16 years. kraft food is trying to boost sales. a lot of competition. a lot of high-end condiments that folks are putting on their burgers and hot dogs. now, let's go to a magic horse tail, sort of.

it's a nine-year-old dubbed, the hudini horse. she lives on a farm in central michigan and check it out. this horse can open stalled doors. the video of the escape act was posted on youtube where it got more than 760,000 views. he doesn't like to be locked in. obviously. >> all right. what do stephen strasburg and rg3 have in common? davey johnson explains. >> and right after the break, a virus some describe as the new sars. the new

in tonight's health alert v. you heard about a dangerous new virus that is similar to sars, the lung infection that kills thousands about ten years ago, it's called coronavirus, or ncov and the unknown disease has now killed six, including a man in britain. that is six deaths of 12 people known to be infected in britain, saudi arabia, and jordan. the cdc is advising doctors to ask their patients with certain symptoms, including a severe cough and high fever about any

recent travels abroad. guidance may not be needed when it comes to hysterectomy. one in nine u.s. women will get a hysterectomy. most are done without open surgery. using a surgical robot during the procedure has also gotten a lot more popular. >> the instrum instrumentation is attached to the instruments that go into the ports. >> it is supposed to make the surgery more precise, but found no real difference in outcomes or complications. and on average, the robot adds more than $2200 to the cost. now to your heart and soul. soul food, that is. often fast food and takeout is artery clog, but what folks eat at church can be just as

damaging. >> in pulpits or in preaching activities is very common. >> heart health in our religious communities is the focus of a new documentary, before you eat the church food, watch this video. it's narrated by bruce johnson. >> purpose is to make the church accountable, not just for the spiritual needs of its members, but also to help them with their physical needs. >> annapolis cardiologist says african americans are 50 times more likely than whites to die from heart disease. she says the typical soul food diet doesn't help. loaded with salt, sugar, white starches, and fat. a diet that is often served during church functions, several times a week. >> let's look at one of the

favorites i served. it's the fried chicken. it's the greens with some form of meat in it, maybe ham, it's the macaroni and cheese. not that these are bad foods, but i think what we are looking at here is, the way the food is prepared. >> houses of worship of all faiths can lead the way towards health conscious lifestyles for their members. >> we would go a long way in helping change the statistics. >> bruce is here now, twenty years since your heart attack? >> it's like yesterday, sometimes. thanks. it's been some time and i do this and some other things because the doctors saved my life belong to this organization. he drove his plane into a mountain and killed himself and his 15-year-old son. and joseph robinson who is my primary physician. >> but you say that's opening a door to a whole new kind of

healthy living. >> you're exactly right. there was controversy. some of the doctors say, don't eat the church food. they see the casualties. they see result of this. it's not like they want to take on the ministers and the church. a lot of these go to church. but they are tired, literally, of having to treat the victims of this lifestyle and asking the clergy that you see in this documentary, a number of the churches have come guard and expand health ministries. the menu, fried chicken, starches, the sweet tea, the cakes and all that, not good for it. maybe a birthright. we may love it. it may taste great, but it's not good for us. especially if you eat it every day. one woman who runs a restaurant downtown, she says some people come in there three times a day. >> your heart can't take it. >> absolutely right. >> bruce johnson, thank you. >> you don't even need to come

in here and you're making me money. and you don't need to come in three times a day. >> behind it, cold air rolling in. it's cold air, derek. i know it's late in the season, we're talking about cold air for mid to late february. it is our michael and son weather cam. we're looking at temperatures in the 40s. in fact, 46 is the high so far today. the winds are still out of the southwest at 14. those will turn really shortly. i think in the next half an hour and that happens, we're going to get much, much colder air in here. all right, here's the big picture. our last batch of showers pushing through. the rain and showers from this morning. we'll zoom in a little bit. thankfully, they become weaker. these were the same storms that produced lightning strikes. now they are run of the mill showers, out in montgomery county. if you are headed up 270, you'll run into wet roads. temperatures, 42 now in

germantown. things haven't changed much. also in springfield. 45 in college park. 44 at andrews and down in waldorf. temperatures in the mid 40s. so, clearing and colder tonight. windchill 12 to 22 late tonight. dressed for the 20s tomorrow. and still cold and dry. good news dry on thursday. so a couple cold days ahead. tonight, clear and windy, windchills in the teens. winds north, northwest. low temperatures 26 to 32. tomorrow morning, mostly sunny, windy, and cold. windchills in the teens and twenties again. air temperature in the 20s and 30s. windchills in the 20s. high temperatures only 36 to 40. winds northwest at 10 to 20. zone forecast. only 24 in oakland tomorrow. 32 in cumberland. mid 30s for hagerstown. sunshine from the mountains to the coast.

maybe 40 in culpeper. 37 in warren ton and also in leesburg. 38 downtown. near 40 into southern maryland. near 40 for annapolis and there is a small craft advisory for the bay and title potomac. so, 30s tomorrow. 38 for a high. but windchills in the 20s. 41 on thursday and some rain develops on friday in the 40s. i think it's going to be rain. don't see any winter precipitation. next seven days, saturday, better chance for rain. sunday looks nice. sunshine and 53. mid 50s on monday with clouds. next bigger storm will be tuesday with rain possibly ending with some snow. now, here's kristen berset at the wusa9 cadillac sports deck. if there's any doubt that johnson is the best managers in baseball, he managed the mets, orioles, dodgers, and now the nationals. everywhere he's gone, success has followed him. now he is hoping this, his

final year, he can go out on top. johnson said it's world series or bust this season. dave owens caught up with him in florida. >> this team, this year, you put it out there. you go world series or bust, maybe that was tongue and cheek, but you know, why on earth would you say something like that and put pressure on the team? >> there's no pressure on them. they know they are pretty darn good. expect them to be better than they were last year. i know what these guys are capable of. i can read the papers, too. last i checked, they picked us to win the world series. >> last year, you had the whole shutdown thing. i'm not asking whether you regret the shutdown. do you regret the way it played out in the media? >> not really. the person that took all the heat was mike rizzo. i think it was -- i'm 100% sure it was the right decision and

it proved out later with rg3 deal and they probably should have had the same idea. it is my philosophy as well as rizzo, you worry about today, but you keep it tomorrow. and we are more concerned about tomorrow not being there. >> not too high, not too low, stay even keel. when you are in washington, d.c. and you got fans just in a frenzy for success, that's not always easy to sell. does that concern you a little bit? >> we love our fans. so i think the fans are rightly to be excited. and they should expect a lot. and you know, i have been in those places where if they didn't get what they wanted, they booed. because you know, we are expecting the same thing they're expecting. >> all right, nats start spring play and they open the regular season at home april 1. you can see that game right here on wusa9. thanks, kristen. we have new developments in the

chandra leavy case. we'll tell you what is in them coming up. bruce johnson and coming up, a lot of new apartment building construction underway in washington and the owners are able to charge whatever they want in rent. everybody is looking for something under rent control. we'll tell you how that is going. and up next, japanese auto makers drive into the future with new technology that will help you save at the pump. ♪

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in tonight's consumer alert. we're talking cars of the future. honda showed off its new technology to make their vehicles lighter and more fuel efficient. it can be made on the doors and trunks. the manufacture plans to use the lighter metal on a new model set to go on sale next month. suzuki rolled out a new lighter model and bmw plans to roll out a new car. and bmw issued a recall for almost 570,000 of its popular 3 series vehicles. a battery cable connector can fail and then when that happens, the engine can stall and we have a potentially dangerous situation on the road. the recall affects four 3 series models from 2007 through 2011. head's up if you get social security checks in the mail. that's going to change, the

treasury department will no longer use the postal service to send you your money. starting march 1, you will get those benefits electronically through direct deposit or a debit card. the change to save taxpayers $1 billion over the next ten years. and microsoft wants to lure e-mail users away from g mail and yahoo. the company launched a tv and digital ad campaign to get you to sign on to its new e mail service or old, depending. if you currently use microsoft hot mail or msn, all your e- mails and contacts are going to be exported to the new service. the good news is, you can still hold on to that old e-mail address. right now on wusa9, bidding wars. are rent controls a thing of the past? >> and a local teenager gunned down outside his home.

it's a crime police are calling senseless. >> also, an unwelcomed visitor. check this video out. a car ran up the front steps and through the front door of a virginia home. this is far from any ordinary accident. lawyers for the man convicted of killing v chandra leavy is based on a lie wusa9 reporter is sitting beside me. he's been following this from the start. joining me now with the dock united documents. there's not a lot to review. give our viewers a look. >> we actually had to go to court, send our lawyers to court to get some of these documents. a lot of the media companies did. there have been secret hearings that have been going on for several months. beyond that, we have very, very few details. so you go through these docume